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#4476741 - 06/04/19 11:35 PM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) ***** [Re: Raine]  
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Fullofit Offline
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Raine, some well deserved bling! I like the colour of the ribbon.
Wulfe, yikes! That was ... uncalled for. Can you rewind time? That is just dolorous. I have a feeling this will permanently alter James’ behaviour. Will he ever step into a plane again? Will he pretend not to be affected and take his frustrations out on the enemy and friend alike? Will he drown his sorrows in a drink and squander his pay on ladies? I don’t know, but I want to. Lemoine would definitely offer Fullard his flask at this time if he still had it.


3 June, 1916 05:15 morning mission
Senard, Verdun Sector
Escadrille N37
Capitaine Gaston A. Voscadeaux
37 confirmed kills

To Gaston’s great surprise and delight all three claims from yesterday’s morning have been confirmed.
This morning the indomitable Gaul was tasked with patrolling over enemy aerodrome at Mercy Le Haut. He came, he saw nothing, he RTB'd.

3 June, 1916 13:35 afternoon mission
Senard, Verdun Sector
Escadrille N37
Capitaine Gaston A. Voscadeaux
37 confirmed kills

It was a bitter-sweet afternoon for Gaston. His wingman, S.Lt. Henri Japy is missing. Nobody knows what happened. He and Japy have just taken off on line patrol mission, north of Verdun and were on their way to the first waypoint when puffs of anti-aircraft fire started to go off to their starboard. That was the last time Gaston saw Japy. A trio of Fokkers was attempting to quietly sneak under the 'B' flight and if it weren't for the arty boys, they probably would have succeeded. Gaston went after them and fired on the one that turned back to face him. Voscadeaux didn't get involved in a turning fight but followed the pair that kept on going straight. He picked the lower one, fired at him and immediately turned to face the first monoplane that went head to head with him. They were low near the ground and Gaston had to be very careful not to stall his pig. It would have been fatal. He eventually crept up on the tail of his target and fired a few rounds. The Eindecker was hit but not critically. What brought upon his demise was the evasive maneuvre he performed right after that. He evaded Gaston and drove straight into the ground. That left the other machine that had been already damaged in the initial attack. This second Boche, after circling the wreck for what seemed like an eternity, was damaged significantly enough to lose control and join his compatriot below. It was then that Voscadeaux noticed Japy was missing. While searching for his wingman, Gaston noticed a speck in the distance and knew right away it was the last Fokker trying to get away. The French Ace decided to pursue. He caught up with him over the front and considered for a moment if he should risk being fired on by the infantry. The risk was low, as they were beyond the trenches already. He swooped down and brought the unsuspecting Boche down with one burst. He then turned south and continued his solitary flight home. It is still uncertain what happened to Japy's plane. It has not been found yet but his name has been crossed off the active pilot roster. At the mess, Voscadeaux could hear other pilots mention the word “Chaussette”. He knew they were talking about his wingman.



"Take the cylinder out of my kidneys,
The connecting rod out of my brain, my brain,
From out of my arse take the camshaft,
And assemble the engine again."
#4476750 - 06/05/19 02:13 AM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
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Carrick, you're keeping us in suspense!!

Fullofit, Gaston is going through Huns at an alarming rate. I think we'll all be going home soon if he keeps this up.

Collins had a quiet week back in France, but a very good one...

An Airman’s Odyssey – by James Arthur Collins

Part Forty-Two: In which I become illustrious


There was a definite tempo to the war around us now. Lewis first commented on it, leaning out the front window of the Poidevins’ house. The road through our tumbledown little hamlet was quiet and dusty by day, except for the rhymes and songs and laughter of children playing after school or the never-ending church bells. But at night the machinery of war awoke: waggons, lorries, ambulances, and long, straggling lines of men with Brodie helmets tilted back or jaunty balmorals, men with pipes and cigarettes dangling from their faces, men with cries of “are we downhearted?” (to be answered with either a resounding “no!” or, commonly, a short Anglo-Saxon invitation to depart). And then the guns, more and more guns making their way through the night towards Albert and the upturned fields beyond.

By first light they were all gone, secreted away in copses and under camouflaged netting, dug in amidst farm lanes and byways and ditches. I pitied the Hun when all the might that was amassing here was unshackled.

The weather was splendid as May turned to June. We photographed the enemy positions from Montauban north to Arras daily and worked on a new thing called a contact patrol – a scheme to let headquarters know where their army had got to. The Ack Emmas had rigged a new bomb-dropping apparatus to our landing gear so we flew occasional bombing raids.

[Linked Image]
"...so we flew occasional bombing raids."

Life was pleasant in Lahoussoye. Madame Poidevin welcomed me like a lost child on my return from England, once she made out who it was. The poor woman could scarcely see the end of her nose. I’d left my gramophone at Hounslow, but Chickering had one that he set up in the family’s parlour, and he had a large collection of recordings, most notably a two-record set with the songs from the Bing Boys.

We had been redesignated B Flight now. Jericho’s flight was C. A Flight consisted of our Morane biplanes. The Major flew with us but he and the headquarters officers messed with A flight, which left us in B Flight the luxury of eating in the Café du Progrès.

On 3 June 1916 we flew far to the north to attack a railyard near Monchy. As was becoming common, we saw no enemy machines in the air. I had come to believe that the RFC had succeeded in driving the Fokkers away from the front. We caught sight of air-Huns only occasionally, usually far off to the east and well behind their own lines. In the afternoon we flew over Thiepval where a new hostile battery had been spotted. Sergeant Wilson was now an absolute master of his craft and was able to send the “OK” signal within five minutes of our arrival over the HB, which soon ceased to exist.

On 4 June we again flew twice, once to photograph positions around Beaumont-Hamel and once to shoot up a rail siding farther north. On our return from the afternoon flight we spotted a lone Fokker near Achiet-le-Petit. I dipped down so Wilson could take a shot. The Hun was heading east and we were heading west, so he got only a half-drum away from nearly 200 yards’ distance before the Fokker disappeared amidst the haze and confusion of the landscape below. We returned to Lahoussoye in a jubilant mood. Wilson insisted he’d hit the Hun, but reported that it was last seen descending under control.

After dinner, the Major invited us all to A Flight’s mess, where he announced that I was improperly dressed and owed the mess a round. He then produced my good tunic and told me to change into it. I immediately checked the sleeve and sure enough, there was my second pip. I was now Lieutenant Collins. As the Major put it in his best Irish manner, I was no longer lower than worm droppings. I had risen to lower than mouse droppings. It wasn’t until I bought the first round that Whistler pointed at my tunic and said that I owed yet another round. I looked down below my wings to see the white and purple ribbon of the Military Cross. With the round bought and the rowdiness beginning, the Major called for silence to announce that the RO had just received a telephone call from the balloon section at Gommecourt. A Hun monoplane had been seen to lose control and crash near Achiet-le-Grand, just west of where we had met our Fokker. The time matched our report and there were no conflicting claims. I had my fifth victory without even knowing it! Another round was ordered, and so the binge began...

Attached Files Rail yard attack.png
#4476751 - 06/05/19 03:16 AM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
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All, please accept my apologies for doing such a poor job with my first pilot, James Patterson. As some of you may remember, he did survive the war. Actually, he was never really in it, but he didn't have the heart to tell little Tommy what really happened: after weeks of longing for the call up to France, and after many hours of routine flights up and down the south east coast of Blighty, James became increasingly disenchanted with the whole business. Even the occasional excitement of mad hat chases after zeppelins in the middle of the night failed to dispel the overall air of gloom that gradually overtook him. In the depths of a deep depression, James decided one night to sneak away from Marston and get totally blotto. This he did, with some considerable success, and woke up the next morning on the back of a farm truck full of hay, minus his virginity and with a thumping headache, in the middle of nowhere. His court martial and dismissal from the RNAS followed shortly thereafter.....

.... and, now, thanks to Raine's generosity, a new chapter begins with my "B" pilot. Hopefully this is a story with more "legs", along with an opportunity for me to try to contribute more to this most excellent selection of tales. You really are a wonderful bunch of writers, let alone pilots! I just hope I can keep up on both fronts....

Intoducing Konrad Berthold von Blumenthal, who has used his significant insider connections to get a posting to KEK Sivry in Verdun. Every saga needs a villain and I certainly intend for this chap to be one.... stay tuned smile

Last edited by HarryH; 06/05/19 03:18 AM.

System: i5 8600K @ 3.6GHz,16GB DDR4 @2666MHz. RTX2080, MSI Z370 mobo, Dell 27" G-SYNC @ 144Hz. 2560x1440

#4476758 - 06/05/19 05:48 AM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
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CHAPTER ONE - WELCOME TO THE FRONT!

Konrad Berthold von Blumenthal
June 1, 1916. Sivry-sur-Meuse, Verdun.
KEK Sivry

Konrad turned to look up at the person who had just addressed him, spat in the dirt next to his feet and wiped the sweat from his brow with a rag.

“Well, what did he say exactly?” He scowled at the orderly who was standing nervously a few feet away, puffing from the exertion of having just run across the field to where Konrad was working on his mount. The young man stammered,
“He..he..he just said for you to come at once. He’s in his office. I’m sorry to have to trouble you sir, but he seems, erm..”, the orderly hesitated.
“Well? He seems what??”, snapped Konrad.
“he seems quite upset, sir”. Konrad sighed and dropped the spanner he was holding.
“Very well” he replied, turning to walk across the field to the Hauptmann's hut.

“Enter!”, a voice from inside the hut commanded. Konrad took a deep breath, opened the door and went inside. Hauptmann Boelcke was seated at his desk by the window. He didn’t look up from his work. Konrad walked toward him and came to a halt with a click of his heels, saluting smartly.

“Sir!”, he barked, trying to stand stock still. Boelcke paused for a moment, and then raised his eyes to survey the young pilot. After what seemed an eternity to Konrad, the Hauptmann spoke.
“Just what the hell do you think you were doing up there today? Your first patrol, with myself leading and you decide to go solo? Are you mad young man? I’m well aware of your connections but you are here to learn, and god #%&*$# it, you will start by learning to OBEY ORDERS!”
“Sir”, Konrad gulped and felt his face flush.
“If you ever, EVER do anything so stupid again, you are FINISHED here, do you understand?”. Konrad felt his anger rising but with great effort,managed to control himself.
“Yes, sir”, he mumbled. The Hauptmann looked back down at his paperwork and Konrad took this as his cue to leave. He snapped off another smart salute, turned on his heels and left the office. Outside he cursed under his breath. Hadn’t he actually done rather well, considering this was his first time up in a single seater monoplane? It wasn’t exactly easy to fly, yet Konrad had managed not only to get it into the air and up to 3,000m, but had also started to get a feel for how to make the beast do his bidding. It was his first experience of a wing-warped design, and he soon found that it needed skillful rudder control to maneuver effectively. He’d even managed to be alert enough to spot a pair of enemy French reconnaissance machine lumbering along on his side of the lines, their presence indicated by a steady series of black shell bursts about 2 kilometers or so away. Konrad proceeded to pursue them, managing to put 12 rounds into one of them before taking return fire to his left plane, at which point he had decided to disengage. Admittedly, he had become confused on the return journey, not able to identify his home field. Eventually he landed at another field some 20 kilometers north east of his own, and had to be towed home, much to the amusement of the waiting KEK Sivry airmen and mechanics. #%&*$# them all, he thought to himself, he would show them! He walked back to his quarters and decided to turn in early. He was met outside the hut by his new wingman and room mate.

“Everything ok?", said Strunze, smiling slightly. "I presume our Hauptmann was none too pleased that you got your Eindecker damaged on your fist time up?”. Konrad decided not to take the bait. “It’s alright, we’ve all been through it", sympathized Strunze. "We call it getting a “Boelcke’ing”. Don’t let it trouble you!". Konrad knew the man was trying to make him feel better about things, but he didn’t want anyone’s sympathy, especially at this moment.
“Just leave it, Kurt!”, he pushed roughly past his fellow airman and made his way to the wash room. He would show them. He would show them all!

……to be continued.



[Linked Image]

Last edited by HarryH; 06/05/19 06:17 AM.

System: i5 8600K @ 3.6GHz,16GB DDR4 @2666MHz. RTX2080, MSI Z370 mobo, Dell 27" G-SYNC @ 144Hz. 2560x1440

#4476764 - 06/05/19 08:35 AM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
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Raine Offline
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Ah, the origin of the word "bollocking." Great start, and welcome to Konrad. He seems to be quite a personality!

#4476792 - 06/05/19 03:46 PM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
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Whew. At this point Gaston's going to win the war for us!

Raine - Great storytelling as always, and congratulations on the promotion!!

Harry - Fantastic introduction to the new man. Looking forwards to more!

As for myself, I'm a little lost at where to go with Fullard's tale. I didn't quite expect "Michael", personified by the AI wingman, to go West so quickly.



Adj. James B. Fullard,
Esc. N.124 'Americaine'
Behonne Aerodrome, France.

June 5th, 1916.


I ate my breakfast quietly at the dining table. The mood was irritatingly tense - it was the first time in three days that the men of the Escadrille had seen me outside of my room. Grief came first, then anger. Anger at the damned Bosche, anger at Michael, anger at the world at large. For those three drunken days, locked in the solitude of the shellshock that my room had become, Lemoine’s hip-flask and its cheery inscription had become my closest friend. Yesterday, however, I had resolved that, for Michael, I had to keep on fighting. I reversed our places. Had I crashed and died, would Michael lock himself away in a tomb of pity? No. He would show the Bosche his fury. With that realisation, I retrieved my tunic from where it had laid in a heap on the floor of my room, pulled the discarded sheets back onto the bed and made it, and emerged.

Understandably, some of the pilots had grown mistrustful of me. Not as a person, but as a flight leader. They thought I was no longer capable. It was a bitter feeling. But in my head I had a new determination, borne of the confused anguish. I would become that pilot Michael, Victor and I had dreamed of becoming at the G.D.E. Pilots such as Garros, Navarre, Voscadeaux, Nungesser.

The rain beat heavily against the windows of the villa, and we looked doubtfully up at the grey, overcast sky when Capitane Thenault arrived in the dining hall. “There will be no flying today” he told us calmly, before circling to the left of the table to find his seat. As he passed me, he clapped me on the shoulder once. Bert Hall leaned back in his seat, his impish face contorting into something resembling a smile. “Well, in that case, I’m off into town! I betcha those Caudron drivers from Escadrille 13 will be there, and they are lousy at cards. I’ll be coming back rich at the end of the night, boys!”.

Norman Prince chuckled. “A trip to Chalons for the day? I’m game. Say, Bill, you coming?”. Thaw grinned and nodded, as Victor Chapman and Chouteau Johnson voiced their agreement. Thenault drew himself up. “So, it is settled. We’ll spend the day in Chalons!”. James McConnell held his hands up. “Not me. I’ll stay here. I have some letters I need to write”. There was a collective groan, as Hall shouted out “Prude!”. Excitedly chattering among themselves, the pilots came up from their seats and begun moving towards the door. Clyde Balsley, the shy little Texan, paused beside me. “You should come with us, James” he said quietly, with an awkward smile. I nodded in agreement. “Okay, Clyde. I’ll come along”.

Bill Thaw, De Laage and Victor Chapman rode with Thenault in his car, while the rest of us piled into the back of an old Ford. I studied them, excitedly chattering. At Michael’s funeral, they had been the picture of misery, shock, heartache. For the first time they had lost a comrade. But, they refused to wallow in that feeling. I suddenly realised that this was the way to go on - to live to the fullest for those who couldn’t.

Even in the rain, Chalons-en-Champagne was a beautiful town, dressed in the elegant French architecture I had come to love. Through its centre ran the river Marne, which rocked and swelled in the inclement weather. We stopped off in its main square, overshadowed by the City Hall, its domed roof glistening with rain. As we piled out of the truck, we deliberated on our first course of action, eventually splitting our separate ways. I went with Kiffin Rockwell and Alfred De Laage to a small Cafe just off of the town centre, in which a few Escadrille pilots were having their lunch. As we took our seats and the waitress came out to serve us, I caught a French pilot staring at us. As I turned to face him, he exclaimed “tu n'es pas Francais!”. “Non. J’suis Americain”. The pilot’s face lit up. “Oho! You are from the American Escadrille?”. Rockwell swelled with pride. “We are!”. The Frenchman pulled up his chair to our table. “Is it true that you have the new Nieuport?”. Rockwell nodded. “Yes, we have one or two Nieuport 16s. Very fast, but too nose-heavy for my liking”.

Non! Not the Nieuport 16! The Nieuport 17!”. We looked at each other in puzzlement. “Nieuport 17?” I asked, and the pilot’s eyes gleamed. “Mais oui! The finest machine ever built! It has the same engine as a Nieuport 16, but the airframe is different, and it is not nose-heavy at all! She can manoeuver just like a [i]Bebe, but she is better in every other respect. I had heard that Les Americaines had been sent some of the first ones!”. De Laage laughed out loud. “Mon Ami, if we had such a machine the war would have been won yesterday! I should very much like to fly one of these Nieuport 17s”. He then turned to us. “Say! Tomorrow we should ask for an early patrol and afterwards take a trip to Le Bourget! I bet there we could fly one!”. Rockwell promptly agreed, and the two looked at me expectantly. For the first time since Michael’s death I smiled genuinely. “Sure. What the hell. Let’s do it”.

#4476818 - 06/05/19 08:19 PM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
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Nothing like a new craft to pull one out of a funk, eh? Nice story Wulfe, and thanks for the encouragement!

CHAPTER TWO - AN INTERESTING LANDING

Konrad Berthold von Blumenthal
June 2, 1916. Sivry-sur-Meuse, Verdun.
KEK Sivry

After a night's sleep, Konrad felt refreshed. He had stewed over his carpeting by Hauptmann Boelcke but realized that the man was probably right. After all, this man had already been anointed as THE master tactician of the Imperial Army, with all pilots absolutely required to learn and adhere to the "Dicta Boelcke", the eight disciplines that would make a man as efficitve in the air as anything else. Of course It made sense to stick together on patrols, at least until Konrad had become fully comfortable with the wing warper. The problem remained though, how to keep up with his superiors' EIVs? He'd just have to try his best.

"Good morning!", said a cheery voice. Strunze had entered the hut having just been to wash and shave. "How are you today? Ready to go up again?".
"Yes I'm ready. I would prefer to have a machine that could actually fly at speed", growled Konrad, pulling on his flying suit as he spoke.
"Ah well, we're both in the same boat there". Strunze gave a wry smile. "At least we should stick together, yes?". Why was this man so damned reasonable all the time? He grated on Konrad's nerves already and he'd only known him for 36 hours!

Out on the field Konrad noted the absence of Boelcke for this patrol. Perhaps he had paperwork to complete, he thought. Nevertheless he had resolved to stay as close as he could and fly in formation for the duration of the mission. They went up to around 1800m and proceeded south east, parallel to the river Meuse, with the river on their right and the foret de Spincourt on their left. From there they made their way to the western edge of the Foret de la Reine, crossing the lines at Etain, eventually turning back to retrace their steps. Konrad kept a weather eye out for other machines the whole time, but none were to be seen.

Arriving back at the field in Sivry, Konrad made mental notes of landmarks to ensure he didn't make the same mistake as the day before. He followed Strunze down and they circled the filed in preparation for landing. Konrad worked the mixture gradually back to rich and began blipping the engine to control his descent, keeping Strunze's machin in front of him. Just as the were making their final approach, Konrad realized that he would not have enough room to land next to Strunze without switching to the other side of him. As a result, he had to execute a last minute manouver, causing him to land awkwardly on one wheel. Luckily he was able to settle the machine and bring it safely to a stop. He immediately jumped out and ran over to where Strunze was unbuckling his harness.

"What the hell do you think you're playing at?", shouted Konrad. Strunze looked at him, bemused. "You cut right across the front of me just then! I could have easily clipped your tail plane, you fool!". Strunze dismounted and Konrad immediately approached him and pushed him roughly against the fuselage. At that moment Leutnant Loerzer stepped between the two men.
"Now then, what's all this about?", he said curtly. "We'll have none of this sort of stuff gentlemen, if you don't mind."
"Oh, just a minor misunderstanding, sir", said Strunze. "Nothing serious, eh VB?". Konrad cringed. Now he had a bloody nickname for him. That infuriating man! He stormed off to his hut to get changed.


……to be continued.



System: i5 8600K @ 3.6GHz,16GB DDR4 @2666MHz. RTX2080, MSI Z370 mobo, Dell 27" G-SYNC @ 144Hz. 2560x1440

#4476836 - 06/06/19 12:00 AM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
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Ajax, ON
Raine, congrats on reaching a milestone. Now they have something to write about in their newspapers back home. Another round of applause for the promotion. I’ve been told mouse droppings level is difficult to reach.
Wulfe, wait! What? Nieuport N17?! Why Gaston hasn’t heard about this wonder and is flying that pig instead? Another great instalment. There are so many possibilities. He could finally meet a girl in the city. Châlons could offer many a distraction (just ask Jericho). And don’t forget, James has yet another brother. Who knows? There could still be two Fullards in the air.
Harry, Konrad seems like a conflict-seeking individual. Boelcke may tire of this attitude and ship him to a less prestigious outfit ferrying potatoes to a local mess kitchen. A villain he certainly is. Hopefully we will soon learn how big of a chip he is carrying on his shoulder and if that will get him into a mound of trouble. Looking forward to it.


4 June, 1916 05:20 morning mission
Senard, Verdun Sector
Escadrille N37
Capitaine Gaston A. Voscadeaux
39 confirmed kills

The two Fokkers near Senard were confirmed by the nearby artillery, but no one could witness Gaston's last victory. It was too low over the Front.

Morning patrol over friendly airfield of Behonne. No contact.

4 June, 1916 13:25 afternoon mission
Senard, Verdun Sector
Escadrille N37
Capitaine Gaston A. Voscadeaux
39 confirmed kills

Afternoon patrol over friendly airfield of Brocourt-en-Argonne. No contact.


"Take the cylinder out of my kidneys,
The connecting rod out of my brain, my brain,
From out of my arse take the camshaft,
And assemble the engine again."
#4476841 - 06/06/19 01:45 AM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
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Wow, Great stories and pics. Keep em flying !

#4476842 - 06/06/19 01:55 AM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
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Keith C. Mallory
Behind the lines.
.

Jun 5 1916.

Remembering what a famous Ace did in a similar situation , I will try Tonight



https://giphy.com/gifs/peanuts-halloween-charlie-brown-great-pumpkin-FphiroDs

#4476847 - 06/06/19 03:15 AM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
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5 June, 1916

“- Hurry up Gaston, you’re going to make us late!” Lieutenant Dagonet’s impatient voice could be heard down the corridor.
Gaston was finishing a letter to his wife Violette. He wanted to have it done before they leave this mid-morning. The weather turned bad overnight and all flights have been cancelled. A few pilots decided to go to town to eat and find some entertainment. Gaston agreed to tag along. He wanted to try something ... something not from the mess. Dagonet, Boillot and Garrigou were waiting by the car and as soon as Voscadeaux came down they all packed into the worn Peugeot and headed for Châlons. The city was a short distance NW of Senard and by the noon the group of pilots were stretching their legs after the cramped ride. There were soldiers everywhere, many with ladies on their hand. Dagonet and Voscadeaux went directly to a nearby restaurant, while Boillot and Garrigou went looking for some entertainment.
The local establishment was filling up and it took a while before they were able to get a table. The pair ordered some fresh bread and cheese to go with a jug of local wine. They didn’t mind that the service took twice as long due to all the orders. They whiled the time away talking and drinking the wine and waiting for their onion soup to arrive. They’ve noticed an unusual amount of women around for a town so close to the front. They’ve come to the conclusion that where there are soldiers, there will be women too. Men have their needs.
Their empty plates were well peppered before the hot onion soup was poured into them. They gorged on it until their throats were raw. It was time to replenish their wine jug. Smoked coq au vin was next. The meal was satisfying in taste and quantity. Gaston wasn’t sure he still had any place for the dessert. They ordered the flaugnarde stuffed with peaches, plums and apples. The two men were stuffed themselves and could barely move. They’ve left the restaurant after four hours of feasting and were trying to find their car to take them back to the aerodrome when turning a corner they bumped into a group of soldiers. One of them fell to the ground after bouncing off Gaston. Their tunics gave them away as pilots.
“- Excusez-nous, Monsieurs!” Dagonet apologized.
“- The fault was ours. You see our friend James here, had one too many and wasn’t looking where he was going. You have to excuse him, he recently lost his brother.”
“- Désolé mon ami. Sorry to hear that. What happened?” Gaston felt for the young man still laying on the floor trying to gather himself.
“- Lost the lower wings in a dive, chasing after some Boche.”
“- Ohhh, that’s terrible. Hope he didn’t suffer. Well, take good care of your friend. He’ll have a heck of a headache in the morning. Au revoir!” Gaston and Dagonet continued on their way.
The young man on the floor mumbled something that resembled “Nieuport 17”, then heaved uncontrollably and vomited on the sidewalk. “Nieuport 17”.


"Take the cylinder out of my kidneys,
The connecting rod out of my brain, my brain,
From out of my arse take the camshaft,
And assemble the engine again."
#4476945 - 06/06/19 06:34 PM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
Joined: Aug 2018
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Wulfe Offline
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Fullofit - Oh, no! How embarrassing for poor old James. Hopefuly Gaston doesn't take first impressions to heart. Congratulations on your 39th - as it turns out, it's a rather special one for le Violet! I've been doing a little bit of scorekeeping out of interest, and I am happy to say that Gaston has now made it into the top 30 Aces of the war. And by 1916, no less! A hearty congratulations, sir.

Carrick - here's hoping for Mallory's swift and safe return.

Harry - yikes, a close call for von Blumenthal! I continue to enjoy the new man, he's a real firecracker! Certainly, he has his eyes set on glory. I await more.


Adj. James B. Fullard,
Esc. n.124 'Americaine',
Bar-le-Duc, France.

June 6th, 1916.


I awoke with the fiercest headache I have ever known, still half-dressed in Horizon Blue. The sunlight that had crept through the gaps in the curtains was like a razor being raked across my eyes, and with a groan I rolled onto my side, feeling very sorry for myself.

Slowly, painfully dragging myself from my bed, I threw on my tunic and stumbled out of my room and towards the grand old staircase in the foyer, searching my foggy mind for any recollections of the evening before. The last thing I remembered was that we had run into Bert Hall and Clyde Balsley and headed into one of the local inns. Past that, only scraps of recollections were available - raucous singing in the inn, Pinard and whiskey flowing, stumbling through the streets back to the town square, falling along the way.

There was a cheer that split my eardrums as I entered the dining room. “Christ! Keep it down!” I cried, as Hall, Rockwell, and De Laage burst into fits of laughter. “Here he is! The man that drank France dry!” cried Hall as I heavily slumped down into the seat at the end of the table. Rockwell joined in with the teasing. “James! Have you heard? You’re being awarded Croix d'alcool!”. I fired off a rude gesture at him, which only resulted in more laughter. “Where are the others?” I asked weakly. “At the aerodrome, or in Chalons. The rain’s still too bad for flying. We stayed here, naturally, to see what state you would be in!” answered Rockwell with a broad grin. “Was it that bad? I don’t remember much of anything from last night”. The three pilots looked at each other knowingly, biting back their smiles.

“Well, it seems we’re out of luck for today when it comes to flying. What shall we do, fellows? Down to Le Bourget anyway, or should we go to the aerodrome?” asked De Laage. Hall shrugged. “I think I’ll go off to visit Escadrille 13. They are a wonderful bunch, but dreadful at cards, and I need to make back some of my pay from last night”. Balsley, in his shy way, mumbled something about wanting to see the new Scout. Yes, that was right...we had met with a pilot who had told us about a new type of Nieuport. The 17. “...and you, Fullard? What are you going to do on this fine day?” asked Rockwell. I shrugged. “I guess I’ll go down to the aerodrome. Little else to do”.

Rockwell and I were driven by a chauffeur to Behonne, which had become lousy with mud after a day and a night of rain. Fortunately, some clever soul had the presence of mind to place down duckboards between the buildings and hangars. I resolved that I should check upon my machine, and headed towards the rows of hangars. As I walked, I spotted Raoul Lufbery, quietly working away on his own Nieuport, and decided to say hello.

As I walked through the entrance of the hangar he looked up at me quickly, nodded a greeting, and went back to work. He had the cowling of his machine off and was modestly working away on the engine. “Fullard, can you pass me that wrench” he asked without looking up. A quick scan and I found the set of tools stood on the workbench behind him. I found the wrench in question and passed it over his shoulder. “Merci”.

“What is it you’re doing?” I asked him. “Just taking care of my coucou. Not that the mechanics aren’t capable, but I like to look after her myself”. I nodded, and thought with curiosity on the bonds formed between pilot and machine. I missed old N.626, still stored peacefully away in some hangar at Ochey. “I was sorry about Michael” said Lufbery. The words sent a jolt through me like a bolt of lighting. “Oh, well. C’est la Guerre, I suppose”.

It was putting on a brave face. In actuality, I was still very much torn up inside. Michael’s death was still a terrible shock, and I still felt the pain at every minute. After that, Lufbery fell quiet as he went about his work, and I watched silently, occasionally passing him a tool or helping in other small ways.

I returned to the Villa for lunch, and found a small collective of pilots gathered around the table, chatting away among themselves and with Capitane Thenault. As it happened, our conveniently-situated Villa had become something of a lunchtime rendezvous for French pilots passing through the town of Bar-le-Duc, and Thenault was more than happy to accommodate them for a short stay. As a result, the American Escadrille now had a good reputation for hospitality and, at lunchtime each day, we were called upon by a host of French pilots. I chatted idly with one or two of them, and quickly became the centre of attention, for I was the only American around the table and I was something of a fascination for my French colleagues.

The remainder of the day was unremarkable, save for Suppertime, when I was finally informed by Kiffin Rockwell why my compatriots had been so amused by my hazy memory in the morning. As they told it, we had rounded a corner while making our way back from the inn and I had run full force into a Pilot, bouncing off of the man and being sent sprawling to the floor. The pilots burst into howls of laughter as Rockwell told me that the man I had collided with was none other than Voscadeaux. I was mortified.

#4476973 - 06/06/19 09:06 PM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
Joined: Nov 2014
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Fullofit Offline
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Fullofit  Offline
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Ajax, ON
Wulfe, Fullard has nothing to worry about. Gaston had seen pilots in much worse state and I’m sure the two pilots will bump into each other again, be it on the ground or in the air. They’re neighbours now, after all. And enough of that sitting around. It’s high time to down more Huns so that, for a change, Voscadeaux can read about Fullard’s accomplishments in the newspapers. salute


"Take the cylinder out of my kidneys,
The connecting rod out of my brain, my brain,
From out of my arse take the camshaft,
And assemble the engine again."
#4476987 - 06/06/19 10:34 PM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 1,340
HarryH Offline
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Wulfe - hope your man's hangover wasn't too painful.

Fullofit - you didn't happen to encounter a couple of Eindeckers over the lines on June 3rd did you? I could swear it was Violette that knocked Konrad over!

CHAPTER THREE - AN AIRMAN RETURNS, SEVERAL CAUDRONS GO DOWN... AND SO DOES KONRAD

Konrad Berthold von Blumenthal
June 3, 1916. Sivry-sur-Meuse, Verdun.
KEK Sivry

Konrad was up early. He looked over at Strunze's cot. Empty. The pilot had failed to return from yesterday afternoon's sortie across le foret de Belnoue and up around the war ravaged city of Verdun. Last evening, after a moment of sympathetic concern, Konrad had hardened. Good riddance, he thought. The man had a way of getting on Konrad's nerves. He got up, washed and dressed for the day before wandering across to the canteen, whistling softly to himself. No sooner had he assembled his plate and sat down, a bedraggled and bleary eyed Strunze stumbled into the room. His fellow pilots jumped up to welcome him, all except for Konrad, who stayed at his table, chewing lethargically on his array of breads and cold meats.
"What happened to you? We though you were lost!" Excited voices all clamored at once for answers. Strunze smiled wearily.
"I was lost! For a while at least. I thought I was going to have to put down near the lake south west of Etain. My engine was making some very strange noises, but I eventually managed to get across to the safety of our lines. I left her under the watchful eyes of our troops there and made my way home. Had to walk several miles in darkness." At that moment, Bolecke entered the canteen and barked his orders.
"Everyone outside! We have work to do! You too, Strunze. You look dreadful. Get cleaned up first and be quick about it".
"Sir!" replied Strunze, saluting sharply. Ugh, thought Konrad, what an idiot. I guess I'll have to suffer him some more. Maybe next next time he won't come back!

Their morning patrol took them north to their own airfield at Stenay. Konrad was improving his ability to stay in formation, holding closely to Hptmn Boelcke's right plane, but he would still get left behind once Boelcke adjusted the mixture on his EIV to gain speed. Konrad had just caught back up to the formation when he spotted puffs of artillery fire over the rail depot south of Stenay. He felt pleased that he had spotted them even before Boelcke, who was some way ahead of him, and was turning toward the smoke to see what was going on. Konrad turned also and soon spotted another Eindecker down low, in pursuit of a much larger craft. As he got closer Kondrad identified it as a Caudron G4. It was already in serious trouble and as Konrad neared, he watched it plunge into rail tracks and explode, emitting a huge tower of black smoke. Kondrad smiled at the thought of one day sending one of these beasts into the ground himself. While he'd been witnessing all this, his formation had disappeared. He circled the area and decided to head up to the field at Stenay. There he found Ltnt. Loerzer in the process of landing, so he joined him.
"Everything OK, sir?" Konrad inquired.
"Yes, fine thank you young man, just a few holes."
"Well, congratulations on the Caudron,sir!"
"Not mine, actually, von Zastrow's. He gets the credit for that one."

The two pilots waited for their transport back to Sivry, enjoying some chilled lemonade, sitting in the warm June sunshine. They got back around 1pm.

A quick lunch and then back out for the afternoon patrol of enemy lines east of Verdun. After nearly an hour of flying in clear, quiet skies, they turned for home. Konrad began having fond thoughts of an evening meal comprised of Bratwurst and beer when he was jolted back to reality. Ahead of him he saw Boelcke, Mallinckrodt and Strunze turning to dive. He quickly scanned below and saw two more Caudrons. He hurried to join the pursuit but Boelcke, with his more powerful engine, was there in a flash. In just moments it was all over for the French 2 seaters. Boelcke turned away to the north east and Konrad dropped down in formation behind him. No sooner was that excitement over than Konrad happened to glance upward, horrified to see two biplanes preparing to swoop down upon them. The Caudrons must have had an escort, he suddenly realized! The very next moment a hail of bullets whipped by him, his windscreen stopping two of them. They must have passed inches from his head but he had no time to think about. Jinking the unwieldy Eindecker from left to right using the rudder control and diving rapidly toward the ground below, Konrad had but a moment to peek over the right side of the cockpit at his compass. More bullets zipped past him as he corrected course in a vain attempt to get further north over the lines. He knew he had to put down or risk getting shot to pieces by the aggressive enemy scouts. He managed a landing in no man's land and sat stock still in shock, looking up as his pursuer circled away. He studied his assailant who was now climbing into the setting sun and thought it might be a Nieuport of some kind...with purple planes? His thoughts were interrupted as in the next moment, urgent French voices were shouting at him and he was dragged from the cockpit and manhandled to the nearby trench.
"Vite, vite!" was the cry as they now came under fire from the opposing trenches! Konrad was bundled over the edge where he fell, unceremoniously, on his backside. So much for bratwurst and beer! He'd be lucky if got any supper at all!

Once the French soldiers had determined that Konrad was fit enough to be moved, they tied a blindfold around his eyes and marched him through the trench system, eventually emerging some 200 metres behind the lines, finally depositing him in a field latrine and locking the door from the outside. Konrad retched from the odor, trying not to puke. He could hear urgent voices seemingly discussing what was to be done with him, but soon all went quiet, except for the ever present sound of shells bursting some distance away. Through a crack in the door, Konrad could see it was getting dark. No one had even thought to tie his hands and feet, so he knew he had a chance to escape before anyone returned. He dug furiously with his bare hands at the earth underneath the doorway and finally managed to wriggle out on his belly. Then followed an extremely tense crawl across no man's land. As he neared the German side he began an urgent but subdued request for help.
"Don't shoot! I'm an escaped airman! I was shot down earlier this evening. You must have seen, please don't shoot!" Suddenly out of the darkness two German soldiers rushed up and grabbed him. For the second time today he was hurled into a trench, only this time he was actually delighted about it. Konrad would live to fly another day......


……to be continued (luckily).



[Linked Image]

Last edited by HarryH; 06/07/19 03:16 PM.

System: i5 8600K @ 3.6GHz,16GB DDR4 @2666MHz. RTX2080, MSI Z370 mobo, Dell 27" G-SYNC @ 144Hz. 2560x1440

#4477002 - 06/07/19 12:49 AM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
Joined: Nov 2014
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Fullofit Offline
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Fullofit  Offline
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Posts: 3,696
Ajax, ON
Harry, looks like Gaston’s unconfirmed claim was unconfirmed for a reason. Great story and I’m glad Konrad isn’t going to spend the rest of the war cleaning French toilets. He will still get his Bratwurst und Bier after all. This is going to be a long war.


"Take the cylinder out of my kidneys,
The connecting rod out of my brain, my brain,
From out of my arse take the camshaft,
And assemble the engine again."
#4477008 - 06/07/19 02:02 AM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
carrick58 Offline
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carrick58  Offline
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
Keith C. Mallory
Behind the lines.


Jun 6, 1916.


I struggled thru the wire on No mans land all night towards the morning . I heard a patrol looking up I saw a group

Attached Files 5d52f7ba78180b875a9a26bb441fffcd  lancers.jpg
Last edited by carrick58; 06/07/19 02:04 AM.
#4477028 - 06/07/19 10:25 AM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
Joined: Nov 2014
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Fullofit Offline
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Fullofit  Offline
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Carrick, finally some familiar faces. Keith must be hungry. Please don’t make him eat horse meat. biggrin


"Take the cylinder out of my kidneys,
The connecting rod out of my brain, my brain,
From out of my arse take the camshaft,
And assemble the engine again."
#4477073 - 06/07/19 03:17 PM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: carrick58]  
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 1,340
HarryH Offline
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HarryH  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 1,340
Originally Posted by carrick58
Keith C. Mallory
Behind the lines.


Jun 6, 1916.


I struggled thru the wire on No mans land all night towards the morning . I heard a patrol looking up I saw a group


I think I saw you as I was going in the opposite direction smile


System: i5 8600K @ 3.6GHz,16GB DDR4 @2666MHz. RTX2080, MSI Z370 mobo, Dell 27" G-SYNC @ 144Hz. 2560x1440

#4477135 - 06/07/19 07:37 PM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 3,086
MFair Offline
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MFair  Offline
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Posts: 3,086
Fullofit, Keeping the Huns on their toes still. Nice bit about meeting Fullard!

Raine, Congratulations on the promotion and bling.

Wulfe, That was a real tragedy! I hope Fullard can put it behind him and stay focused.

Harry, Good to see you in the skies! That was a close one. Nice story!

Carrick, Rescue at last!

Lt. Mark Jericho
June 4th. 1916

"Major Harvey?" asked the voice over the phone.
"Yes" came the reply through the receiver.
"Major, this is Lt. Gamble at Bellevue. We have two of your chaps here with us."
"That would be one of C Flight, who is it and what is their status?" the Major demanded.
The Lt. continued, "A Lt. Jericho and Gomm. They are a bit banged up but should be alright Sir"
Major Harvey was growing impatient. "Specifics Lt.! Exactly what does "banged up" mean and what is the status of their machine damit!"
The Lt. gathered himself at the Majors outburst and replied. "Lt. Jericho has a bad gash on the head. He can travel. Lt. Gomm has been shot through the shoulder. He is on his way to hospital at the moment Sir!"
There was a short silence and then the Major yelled, "And the bloody Morane Lt.! What condition is their machine in if you may!"
"Yes Sir! Sorry Sir! It is shot up a bit but should be flyable Sir." the Lt. replied.
The Major gave a quick response. "I will have transportation for Lt. Jericho and a pilot to shuttle the Morane back here by noon." and hung up.

Just before noon a Lorry came to pick up Jericho. He was greeted by his friend, Capt. Richards. Richards had been wounded in the arm the day before when C Flight was attacked by 3 Fokkers. In that fight Jericho had his hands full and landed with a machine full of holes, some of which passed directly between he and Gomm. "Thought I might come and make sure you make it back safe ol boy. I like your new cap!" he said pointing at the bandage around Jericho's head.
"Thanks Capt." Jericho said as Richards helped him into the back of the Lorry. It was a bumpy ride back to the base which did Jericho's headache no good. Along the way Jericho told Richards of what happened. "Over the patrol area a lone Fokker came at us but he hesitated and then stayed below us circling. I thought he might have been scared and would be easy so I made to dive on him and give Gomm a shot. When I did he made his move. As I glance around to make sure Gomm had a shot the Hun hit us with a damned accurate burst. I thought I was hit in the head with a hammer! I was in a bit of shock and it took me a while to gather my wits! Windscreen shot through, my map in taters, so much blood in my eyes I could barely see and the only way to stay level was to hold the stick full forward. I heard Gomm open up one more time and the Hun turned back. Good thing he did because we were gonners. We landed at Bellevue using mixture and blipping It was a close run thing Capt."
Richards replied, "You've had a rough few days my friend. Did the field Medic say how long you would be out?"
"Oh, 3 to 5 days I think. Really not sure." Jericho replied.

That night Jericho woke up in a cold sweat breathing heavily. He raised up in his cot and wiped his face accidently touching the wound above his eye which made him jump. Richards looked over at him. "You were having a bad dream" he said. "No sh#t" was Jericho's reply then he continued, "That Fokker we brought down the other day in flames, my 4th?"
"Yes" replied Richards "What about it?"
"That pilot was swatting at those flames like he was fighting bees. Almost like the boy I lost the other day." Jericho paused then added. In the last two days I've seen 2 go down in flames. In between me and Gomm barely just get back having the machine shot up everywhere but where we sit and today almost go west with one burst! Too damned close Captain. Too damned close" Jericho said looking into the dim light. He started up again. "What was that observers name that got killed a few weeks back? "Mckellar! That's it. Did you know his brother was killed in that uprising against Britain in Ireland a few months back and now he's gone fighting for Britain. Just don't make sense!”
Jericho was starting to ramble now so Richards sat up in his cot. "You got to get a hold of yourself mate. War, Life, neither make sense sometimes. You just have to go with it. Take what comes as they say."
Jericho lay back in his cot. "I suppose so."






Last edited by MFair; 06/07/19 07:41 PM.

Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear or a fool from either end.
BOC Member since....I can't remember!
#4477144 - 06/07/19 08:04 PM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
Joined: May 2012
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Hasse Offline
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Hasse  Offline
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Joined: May 2012
Posts: 1,743
Seems you guys are quite busy with the war! Excellent reports.

Unfortunately I've run into some unexpected trouble. I got a new PC and I can no longer get my WOFF working on it. I have so many different installers for expansion packs and version patches that at some point in the process something goes wrong and I can't even enlist any pilots to fly. To make this a perfect mess, my backup of Julius's pilot files also failed.

So now I'm considering buying a complete WOFF UE version, which hopefully comes with a single, foolproof installer. But Julius's career is lost in any case. Bugger.


"Upon my word I've had as much excitement on a car as in the air, especially since the R.F.C. have had women drivers."

James McCudden, Five Years in the Royal Flying Corps
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